Donald Trump Uses Federal Agencies to Target Media Organizations

President Donald Trump has launched a sweeping campaign to curtail press freedoms during his second term by utilizing federal agencies and personal lawsuits to target journalists, media organizations, and critics. The United States Department of Justice has deployed FBI agents to serve subpoenas and seize devices from reporters, while the Pentagon has restricted journalist access and fired the leadership of Stars and Stripes.

Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission has investigated broadcast networks for news distortion and diversity policies. This includes a mass challenge to ABC station licenses following jokes made by Jimmy Kimmel. Simultaneously, the Federal Trade Commission has investigated media watchdogs NewsGuard and Media Matters for America regarding their finances and methodology.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has defended these actions as a means of holding the media accountable for biased reporting. While several of these initiatives have been blocked or rebuked by federal judges as First Amendment violations, Reporters Without Borders reports a substantial diminishment of press freedoms in the United States.